...No, sameness isn't always a virtue at Augusta. Nobody here stands accused of being an overly progressive thinker, and the guardians of this all-male sanctuary won't make this tournament everything it can be until its membership goes coed.

Billy Payne, chairman, is moving toward that inevitable day when a woman is invited to join. He's taking baby steps in Hootie Johnson's wake, hoping to avoid embarrassing his Jurassic-minded predecessor any more than he has to...